Developing machine



June 8, 1948. H. H. SULLIVAN EI'AL.

DEVELOPING MACHINE Filed April 24, 1946 I] h' {I H I I 5 Sheets-Shee t 1 June 8, 1948.

Filed April 24, 1946 RA N H. H. SULLIVAN EI'AL DEVELOPING MACHINE 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 H. H. SULLIVAN ETAL 2,442,941

DEVELOPING MACHINE Filed April 24, 1946 3 Sheets-Sheet Patented June 8 1948 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE;

DEVELOPING MACHINE- Harry H. Sullivan, Warren L. Sullivan, and Frederick G. Wilde, Rochester, N. Y., assignors to Paragon-Revolute Corporation, Rochester, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application April 24, 1946, Serial No. 564,458

4 Claims. 1

The present invention relates to a machine for developing photo-sensitive sheets by exposure to ammonia, gas or the like.

In machines of this type it is the practice to generate the ammonia gas in a developing tank or chamber, one wall of which is perforated, and the photo-sensitive sheet, together with the tracing or other article, which is to be reproduced, is drawn by an impervious belt over this Wall so that the photo-sensitive sheet may be exposed through the perforations in the wall to the gas in the chamber, in order to develop the sheet. The ammonia gas can be generated in various ways. A common practice is to feed liquid ammonia to an evaporating tray which is mounted within the tank or chamber and to evaporate the liquid from the tray by heating the liquid.

The heat required for generation of the gas heats up the tank or chamber, also, and the walls of the chamber expand. This tendency of the walls of the chamber to heat up has been one of the disadvantage of previous constructions of machines of the type referred to, for with previous constructions, the developing tank or chamber has been secured rigidly in the machine, and the perforated wall, therefore, tends to buckle under the heat. The result is that it presents an uneven, instead of a smooth, surface over which the photo-sensitive sheet is drawn. This causes uneven exposure of the sheet and produces poor prints. Moreover, sometimes the buckling of the perforated wall causes the photo-sensitive paper to bind and tear.

One object of the present invention is to 1 170- vide a developing machine of the character described which is so constructed that the perforated wall of the developing chamber cannot buckle or bind.

A further object of the invention is to provide a machine of the character described which is so constructed that the various parts of the machine may expand under heat without in any way aifecting the operation of the machine.

Qther objects of the invention will be apparent hereinafter from the specification and from the recital of the appended claims.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a developing machine constructed according to one embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a view looking at the rear of the developing tank or chamber, and showing its mounting, parts being broken away;

Fig. 3 is a detail sectional view illustrating the means formounting the developing tank or chamber for expansion and contraction;

Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the developing chamber or tank;

Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line 55 of Fig, 4 and showing the evaporating tray and its mounting; and

Fig. 6 is a sectional view on the line 6-6 of Fig. 5.

Referring to the drawings by numerals of ref erence, l'il denotes the base of the machine. Qn this base is mounted an enclosed cabinet consisting of the side walls I l and l2 (Figs. 1 and 2 the rear wall I3, top wall {4 and front wall !5.

Mounted within the cabinet, in a manner which will be described in'more detail hereinatter, is the developing tank or chamber 20 (Fig. i This k as a p f rat r ar wa 2,! F s a 4), a closed front wall 22, and closed side walls 23 and 26, the side walls 23 and 26 being secured to h front an r ar w s a d 22 by c e flt ted w n he ank 2 1 a manner i h will b de r e m re pa ticul r h na t is a shallow V-shaped evaporating tray 3|; (Figs; 2, 5 and 6). This tray is adapted to hold liquid ammonia, which is evaporated from the tray by the heat from an electric heating element 3!. The liquid ammonia, is adapted to be supplied, ;9 the y 9 a re er oi 01 cnta (Fi 1) which is mounted on the side I I of the machine n s c he e o b sc e 3 T l quid is ap d to b m d f m the re erv ir and. pl to the a hr ugh a u tab cluding the tube 3.4 (Figs. 1 and 5) The pump y b o an sui b e ree and i s o s ru tion is not pecif cally shown. lit may be, for instance, of the type disclosed in the copending applica tion of the present inventors, Serial No. 607,850, d y .39 19 5, and ma be driven at a timed t a desc i in a d a pli ation or in a y other uitable manner.

pm nt Of hcte se s iv heet is e fected by drawing the sheet over the rear wall 2| of t e de lopin ch mber s t e p se th sheet through the perforationS 25 (Fig. 2) in the rear n 2| o the a e a mr ed i the c m r fr m h va o at n t 9.- he Ph toe ti e Pape wh ch s o b deve ope is drawn .over the rear wall 2 in the usual manner y an endl s belt 0 sh ewhic is mount d to run over pulleys {I and 42. The pulley 92 is a ted o be d i n imm a mot r not shown mounted in the base in of the machine by a belt 43 an pu ey 44 w i h is e u ed to t sa e shaft 45 as the pulley 42. Idlers 46 and 41 are provided to take up slack in the drive belt 43. The pulley 4| is adjustably mounted in the machine to provide the proper tension on the belt 40, this adjustment being effected by a screw 48. The photo-sensitive sheets, which are to be developed, and the tracings or other articles, which are to be reproduced, are fed to the belt 43 over a shelf 59 through an opening in the front wall l5 of the cabinet. They are carried down over the rear wall 2| of the developing chamber between the belt and this wall and drop onto a tray or receptacle 52 from which they can be taken by the operator of the machine. The shelf 59 is supported by the side panels 53 which are suitably secured to the framework of the machine.

The tank or chamber is completely enclosed except for the perforations in its rear wall 2|, and the belt 40 is of such width as to overlap the wall 2| to prevent, so far as possible, escape of the ammonia gas from the tank. The heat produced in the chamber for evaporation of the liquid ammonia from the tray 3|] is largely confined, therefore, within the tank. This produces expansion of the tank. To provide for this, in the machine of the present invention, the tank is anchored to the cabinet at one side only. This is by means of lugs 16 (Fig. 2), which are integral with the side wall 23 of the tank and which extend through openings in the side H! of the cabinet, and by means of screws 75, which engage these lugs and thread into the cabinet wall E2. The tank is mounted at its opposite side so as to be able to move relative to the side wall H of the cabinet as it expands or contracts. For this purpose, three pins 56 (Figs. 2 and 3) are provided. These thread into bosses formed on the side plate II and engage in holes 57 that are provided in bosses 58 which are formed on lugs 59 that are secured to or integral with the framework of the side 23 of the tank.

Since the tray is directly exposed to the heat of the heating element 3| and is, therefore, more subject to expansion and contraction than the tank, and since this tray is preferably made of light sheet metal which may have a difierent coef icient of expansion from the tank, it is mounted within the tank so that it can freely expand and contract relative to the tank with changes in temperature. It is fixed to the tank atone end only, but is free to move relative to the tank at its opposite end. The tray is mounted to slope gently from the left-hand side (Fig. 5) toward an outlet near the right side. It is welded at one end to a pair of brackets 35 and at its opposite end to a pair of brackets 37. The brackets 35 are secured by screws 38 to a cover plate 69, which closes a cylindrical opening in the side Wall 23 of the tank 20, and which is secured to the side wall 23 by screws 6|. The cover plate 60 has an opening in it which is closed by a cap member 63. The cap member 63 has a central opening in it through which the tube 34 extends to deliver liquid ammonia to the tray 33. Cap 63 is secured to the cover 60 by screws 64. The brackets 31 are apertured to receive supporting pins 65 so that the tray may expand and contract by movement on these supporting pins. The pins 65 are mounted in a cover plate 66. This cover plate closes a cylindrical opening in the right-hand side wall 26 of the tank 28 and is secured to this side wall 26 by screws 67. The covers 60 and 66 have openings through which the heating element 3| may extend. Clips 63 (Fig. 1) are fastened to the covers 6:] and 56 by screws 69. These clips support the 4 ends of the heating element 3| and have connected to them the conductor wires 10.

The rate of evaporation of the liquid from the tray 30 is controlled through adjustment of set screws which engage the tubular heating element 3!. The set screws may be arranged in groups of three, two set screws 12 (Fig. 6) of a group being threaded into the tray 30 and engaging the underside of the heating element 3| and the third set screw 13 of a group being threaded into a strap 74 which extends above the heating element and is welded or otherwise fastened to the tray. The cover plates 60 and 66 permit access to the tray and its removal from the evaporating tank.

With the structure shown, it will be seen that the developing tank or chamber is free to expand or contract relative to the cabinet in which it is mounted so that there will be no buckling of the perforated front plate of the tank or chamber. Further than that, it will be seen that the evaporating tray is free to expand or contract relative to the developing tank and therefore the tray will not buckle in the tank. The developing machine of the present invention is, therefore, efi'icient in operation at all times, and is so constructed that all work is properly exposed and developed.

While the invention has been described in connection with a particular embodiment thereof, it is capable of further modification, and this application is intended to cover any variations, uses, or adaptations of the invention following, in general, the principles of the invention and 0 including such departures from the present disclosure as come within known or customary practice in the art to which the invention pertains and as may be applied to the essential features hereinbefore set forth and as fall within the limits of the appended claims.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim is:

1. A developing machine comprising a cabinet, a developing chamber adapted to contain a developing gas, means for securing one side wall of the chamber to one side wall of the cabinet, means for slidably supporting the opposite side wall of the chamber from the cabinet to permit free movement of the chamber within the cabinet for expansion or contraction, said chamber having a perforated rear wall through which a photosensitive sheet can be exposed to the gas, a tray mounted in said chamber adapted to contain a liquid, heating means mounted in said chamber for evaporating said liquid from the tray to generate the developing gas, an impervious belt, and means for driving said belt to carry a photosensitive sheet over said perforated rear wall.

2. A developing machine comprising a support, a developing chamber adapted to contain a gas, means for rigidly securing one side wall of the developing chamber to said support, means for supporting the chamber at its opposite side from the support for slidable movement with reference to said support, said chamber having a rear wall with openings therein through which a photosensitive sheet may be exposed to gas in the chamber, a tray adapted to contain a liquid, means for fixedly securing the tray at one end to one side wall of the chamber, means for supporting the tray at its opposite end from the other side wall of the chamber for longitudinal movement relative to the chamber, and heating means mounted within the chamber for evapo- 7 rating liquid from the tray to generate the developlng gas.

3. A developing machine comprising a support, a developing chamber adapted to contain a developing gas, means for rigidly securing one side Wall of the developing chamber to said support, means for supporting the chamber at its opposite side from the support for slidable movement relative to the support, said chamber having a rear wall with openings therein through which a photo-sensitive sheet may be exposed to the gas in the chamber, a tray adapted to contain a liquid, means for fixedly securing the tray at one end to the second named side wall of the chamber, means for supporting the tray at its opposite end from the first named side wall of the chamber for longitudinal movement relative to the chamber, and heating means mounted within the chamber for evaporating liquid from the tray to generate the developing gas.

4. A developing machine comprising a cabinet, a developing chamber adapted to contain a developing gas, means for securing one side wall of the chamber rigidly to one side wall of the cabinet, means for slidably supporting the opposite side Wall of the chamber from the cabinet to permit free movement of the chamber in the cabinet for expansion or contraction, said. chamher having a perforated rear wall through which a photosensitive sheet may be exposed to the gas within the chamber, a tray adapted to contain a liquid, means for fixedly securing the tray at one end to the second named side wall of the REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,878,279 Langsner Sept. 20, 1932 2,047,104 Morse (1) July 7, 1936 2,075,306 Schade -1 Mar, 30, 1937 2,299,045 Trump Oct. 13, 1942 2,302,277 Von Meister Nov. 17, 1942 2,333,733 Morse (2) Nov. 9, 1943 2,384,155 Brunk Sept. 4, 1945 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 494,342 Great Britain Oct. 25, 1938 

